Configuration network for an IC

• US 8,115,510 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2010
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tabula Incorporated
• Inventors: Redgrave, Jason, Khubchandani, Teju, Schmit, Herman
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Anh Q
• Application Number:
  US12/754,603
• Publication Number:
  US 20100289520A1
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 326/38
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/1731 Optimisation thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/177 arranged in matrix form
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/17704 the logic functions being realised by the interconnection of rows and columns
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/17736 Structural details of routing resources
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/17748 Structural details of configuration resources
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/17756 for partial configuration or partial reconfiguration
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/17764 for reliability

Abstract

Some embodiments of the invention provide a configurable integrated circuit (IC) that includes several configurable circuits grouped in several tiles. The configurable IC also includes a configuration network for loading configuration data into the IC, where the configuration data is for configuring several of the configurable circuit. In some embodiments, the configuration network includes several registers at several boundaries between the tiles, where the registers allow multiple configuration data sets to be routed to multiple tiles concurrently. The configuration network in some embodiments includes several address counters at several tiles, where each address counter allows one address to be loaded for a tile and then to be successively incremented based on increment instructions sent over the configuration network. At least, two different addresses specified by an address counter of a particular tile identify two different resources within the particular tile.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit (IC) comprising:

a plurality of configurable logic circuits for configurably performing functions based on configuration data;

a configurable routing fabric comprising a plurality of configurable routing circuits for configurably connecting the configurable logic circuits; and

a configuration network comprising n control lines and m data lines routed to each of a plurality of sets of configurable logic circuits, said configuration network separate from the routing fabric and for loading configuration data sets for the configurable logic circuits.

2. The IC of claim 1, wherein the n control lines are for carrying control signals for operation instructions and the m data lines are for carrying data signals for data arguments.

3. The IC of claim 1, wherein the configuration network is for loading configuration data into the IC from outside of the IC.

4. The IC of claim 1, wherein the configuration data is loaded from a non-volatile memory outside the IC.

5. The IC of claim 1 further comprising a configuration controller for sending and receiving configuration data from outside the IC, formulating the configuration data sets, and routing the configuration data sets for the plurality of sets of configurable logic circuits.

6. The IC of claim 5, wherein the configuration data sets are routed to the plurality of sets of configurable logic circuits on one or more of the m data lines.

7. The IC of claim 1 further comprising sets of storage elements for storing, while a set of configurable logic circuits perform operations based on a first configuration data set, a second configuration data set in the configuration network.

8. The IC of claim 1, wherein the configuration network further comprises a first portion and a second portion, the first portion for carrying one configuration data set while the second portion of said configuration network carries another configuration data set.

9. The IC of claim 1, wherein data packets comprising said configuration data sets are routed through the configuration network.

10. The IC of claim 9, wherein the data packets further comprise operation code for identifying a set of configurable logic circuits to receive said configuration data sets.

11. An electronic device comprising:

a memory device; and

an integrated circuit (IC) comprising;

a plurality of configurable logic circuits for configurably performing functions based on configuration data;

a configurable routing fabric comprising a plurality of configurable routing circuits for configurably connecting the configurable logic circuits; and

a configuration network comprising n control lines and m data lines routed to each of a plurality of sets of configurable logic circuits, said configuration network separate from the routing fabric and for loading configuration data sets from the memory device to configure the configurable logic circuits.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the n control lines are for carrying control signals for operation instructions and the m data lines are for carrying data signals for data arguments.

13. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the configuration network is for loading configuration data into the IC from outside of the IC.

14. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the memory device a non-volatile memory outside the IC.

15. The electronic device of claim 11 further comprising a configuration controller for sending and receiving configuration data from outside the IC, formulating the configuration data sets, and routing the configuration data sets for the plurality of sets of configurable logic circuits.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the configuration data sets are routed to the plurality of sets of configurable logic circuits on one or more of the m data lines.

17. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the IC further comprising sets of storage elements for storing, while a set of configurable logic circuits perform operations based on a first configuration data set, a second configuration data set in the configuration network.

18. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the configuration network further comprises a first portion and a second portion, the first portion for carrying one configuration data set while the second portion of said configuration network carries another configuration data set.

19. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein data packets comprising said configuration data sets are routed through the configuration network.

20. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein the data packets further comprise operation code for identifying a set of configurable logic circuits to receive said configuration data sets.